OBG signs deal with Emirates NBD

Dubai, October 21, 2013

Oxford Business Group (OBG), a global publishing, research and consultancy firm, has signed a deal with Emirates NBD for its forthcoming publication which will focus on Dubai's banking reforms.

Under the deal, OBG will have access to the bank’s expertise and research resources which will be used to compile the banking chapter of the Report.

The key role that a strengthened regulatory regime governing Dubai’s banking sector is playing in bolstering investor confidence will be put under the microscope in the new report, said OBG in its statement.

"The Report: Dubai 2014" report will explore the impact that caps on lending aimed at avoiding concentration risks will have on financing options for businesses, the consultancy firm stated.

It will also consider the challenges the government faces in shoring up support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which are struggling to obtain funding, it added.

OBG’s regional editor Oliver Cornock said he expects the partnership with Emirates NBD to chart the changing landscape of Dubai’s financial services sector as the new regulations bed in.

“We will also explore the challenges start-ups and smaller businesses are facing in accessing credit, a key issue given the role they are anticipated to play in the emirate’s diversification efforts,” he said. “I am delighted our team will be building on its partnership with Emirates NBD to explore these and the many other important issues affecting the sector.”

Emirates NBD’s vice chairman Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim said a number of developments confirmed that Dubai’s efforts to win back investor confidence were paying off, led by its strong showing within the GCC in the US dollar-denominated bond market.

“Reforms and debt restructuring have paved the way for Dubai to tap investment for emerging sectors of its economy such as its dedicated free zones, which will drive forward the emirate’s expansion efforts,” he said.

“I look forward to working closely with Oxford Business Group to document the key part that Dubai’s banking sector is earmarked to play in the next phase of Dubai’s development,” added Hesham Abdulla.

"The Report: Dubai 2014" will be a vital guide to the many facets of the emirate, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments.-TradeArabia News Service